Lear n f rom the best
He’s the fastest man in Iron-distance history and three-time Ironman world champ, yet Jan Frodeno’s Ironman debut in 2014 involved cramps and punctures. So what advice does the German superstar have for Iron debutants?
CORE STRENGTH
If I had to offer one key tip to age-group athletes to improve their Ironman running it would be to get a stronger core. I just see so many athletes bent over like bananas as they get tired, which costs them energy and makes them more likely to get injured. Although I use the dirt trails and run off-road a lot of the time, I also make sure I run on the roads at a good pace three or four times a week to strengthen my body up as that’s the surface Ironman races are on.
BREAK IT DOWN
I found it useful to break the Ironman marathon into small pieces and not look at the whole distance left. In the end it was aid station to aid station and I was walking through them at my Ironman debut at Frankfurt in 2014. I also picture myself a lot on my home loop and I surround myself with familiar things. Try to remember the good sessions that started bad and became good as there’ll be low points and high times, and that’s when you need to have the perseverance to endure and to fight hard to get to the next good point.
KNOW YOUR BODY
If you really enjoy dissecting each session, there’s no reason not to use data, online coaching and software. But in the end, it’s only you or your body that can say this is good – or not. The theory is all very well, but in the race you have to be able to go without it because if your perceived exertion doesn’t match up with your numbers, you simply can’t lose your head over it and have to keep going. Use the numbers, look at them, but remember this is a great outdoor sport to be enjoyed, too.
ACTIVE RECOVERY
I found that most of the strain is mental in Ironman racing, so I try to recover my mind firstly and have a beer with my friends if I can, just to relax for a little bit after the race. And the day after the race? Not moving would be a mistake. The next day I try to have some active recovery – a little swim is something that helps – because if you don’t move after racing an Ironman it’s probably the worst thing to do.